


Pride

by PunkHazard



Category: Empire (2015)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 20:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3461819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunkHazard/pseuds/PunkHazard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're still cubs with a lot of growing to do, but even young Lyons have claws.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pride

**Author's Note:**

> Collection of short fics about the Lyon kids, mostly.

Their new house is massive, a mile or two away from Empire Studios. Jamal's home for the night for the first time in a while-- Olivia had insisted on dinner with the family, and dad's been mildly chilly toward him lately rather than the usual blistering cold, so Jamal's got every intention of keeping the good vibes going. He hadn't counted on downing quite so much wine at dinner, though. Still, Hakeem's woken him up at-- Jamal checks his watch-- two in the morning before, so he doesn't feel too bad about stumbling into his room.

"Hakeem," Jamal hisses, shaking him by the shoulder, "I'm gay."

Hakeem's first response is an incoherent mumble, then, "Tell me something I don't know, Mal." A warm palm presses against Jamal's nose, pushing him to arm's length. "Can this wait, man? I'm hanging with my boys tomorrow."

Pausing, Jamal snatches Hakeem's hand away and flips on the bedside lamp. "Don't you have school tomorrow?"

Hakeem gives him a look that, even in his squinted and bleary-eyed state of half-sleep, says loud and clear that that's a line of questioning Jamal had better steer clear of if he still wants his little brother's attention.

"I've been googling," Jamal says instead, "and I think I need to get an annulment."

"I told you to get your ass a divorce like, months ago."

Jamal sits on the edge of the bed, a king-sized monstrosity about the size of his old bedroom, and folds his hands on his knees. "Olivia's really nice, though."

"I also told you," Hakeem snarls, pulling his comforter over his face, "not to marry her in the first place. I fuckin warned you." 

"I thought it'd work." Jamal sighs, then drops flat, the back of his head hitting Hakeem's knees. "Dad says--"

"Fuck what dad says," Hakeem interrupts, suddenly sounding awake. He sits up, a pillow clutched to his chest. "He doesn't know you, Mal." 

"You wouldn't say that if he was telling you to do all this."

"Cause he doesn't have any beef with me." The idea that their father has a definite favorite isn't foreign to either of them, though none of them ever say it so plainly. "Maybe he's right about the hip-hop community and shit," Hakeem continues, "but if you get like this it's not even worth it. I ain't gonna let no dick come near me, so how come he's throwing pussy at you?"

A laugh erupts before Jamal can suppress it. He brings his fist to his mouth, jaw dropping. "Hakeem, you're fifteen! What the fuck?"

"I ain't a kid!"

"You _are_ a kid!" He pauses, biting his lip through a grin. "When d'you get so smart, huh lil brother?"

"I ain't stupid, Jamal." Hakeem shoves at his shoulder, then experimentally whacks him in the face with his pillow. "Go sleep already!"

Jamal doesn't move, eyes squeezed shut. "I'ma sleep right here. Look at all this room you have."

"Hell no! I'm done sharing a room with you, you got your own place. I don't even have my own place."

"Cause dad doesn't want me here."

"You still got a room," Hakeem points out.

Jamal snatches the pillow that had been used on him, tugging on it lightly enough not to rip but firm enough not to lose his grip. "Olivia's there. I don't want to wake her up."

A short silence, then-- "Alright," Hakeem concedes, no longer resisting but covering Jamal's face with the pillow, pressing down until his brother wrestles him off to mock-smother him in return, "but if you snore, I'm kicking you out!"

Jamal's still pretty trashed, not entirely sure how to even start an annulment procedure and dreading the conversation with Olivia when the time comes-- but he hasn't felt so at ease in a long time. "Like to see you try," he laughs, "stupid."


End file.
